Randt and Thorfinnson back to lead girls tennis team
Sports | Published on August 12, 2024 at 2:05pm CDT
The Minnewaska Area girls tennis team is the first Laker sports team to get its season underway this fall. The Lakers, who finished 12-7 overall last year, are set to open up the season, Friday, Aug. 16 at the Park Rapids Area quadrangular.
The Lakers won their ninth-straight WCC title last fall with a perfect 8-0 record.
Minnewaska Area earned the third seed in the Section 6A Tourney last year and beat Sauk Centre in the first round before losing to NLS in the semifinals. NLS, the second seed, beat Osakis in the finals to earn a state berth.
Back to coach the Lakers again this year is Tara Reichmann, who will be coaching her 25th season of girls tennis. She is 365-155 overall coaching girls tennis and 162-133 coaching boys for an overall record of 527-288.
• Five Lakers were named to the All-WCC girls tennis team for 2023 and all return for the team again this fall — Alia Randt, Olivia Danielson, Avarie Uhde, Rachel Rankin and Megan Thorfinnson.
One of the highlights from last season was Megan Thorfinnson and Alia Randt placing third in the Section 6A doubles tourney, missing out on a state berth by one win. They should be one of the top teams in the section again this year.
• Alia Randt, who played first singles for most of the season, and Megan Thorfinnson, who played second singles, had the best records for the Lakers last season with 17-8 records, while Addy Heid (16-5) and Rachel Rankin (16-7) both finished the season with 16 victories. Thorfinnson is 62-36 overall for her career, while Randt is 58-40.
Minnewaska Area had eight players with at least 10 wins last year as Katie Sorenson and Katy Vold were both 13-9 and Olivia Danielson and Avarie Uhde were both 13-10.
Although other players may earn starting spots or others may be switched from singles to doubles, or the other way around, the Lakers return their first through fourth singles players from last year (Randt, Thorfinnson, Rankin and Heid, respectively) and also return most of their doubles’ players as Danielson and Avarie Uhde played first doubles, Sorenson and Vold competed at second doubles, and Kaylen Blair (8-9), Norah VanZee (5-2) and McKenna Uhde (1-4) saw action last year at third doubles along with Brianna Erickson, who is the only player who graduated from last year’s team.
